Man pleads guilty in 2013 killing of homeless man

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man plead guilty in New Hanover County Superior Court this afternoon to a 2013 homicide.

According to a news release, Andrew Richard Berry, 24, entered a plea to second-degree murder for his involvement in the death of Judson Lee Poland, Jr, 48, on Jan. 2, 2013. Berry was sentenced between 18 and 2 years in the Department of Adult Correction.

A Wilmington Police Department investigation said that this incident stemmed from a drug
transaction in which Berry intended to purchase heroin from Poland behind the former Wilson’s
Restaurant location on New Center Drive.

A struggle ensued, in which Berry grabbed Poland’s legs causing Poland to fall and strike his head against a wall. Poland was found by an acquaintance the next morning. Efforts to save Poland were unsuccessful.

The case went unsolved until May of this year when Berry turned himself in to authorities in Brunswick County. He has remained in custody since that time.